Governor's Budget cuts

Kabin · Feb 23, 2010

They say it won't get better for another 3 or more years. Most likely we'll continue to have fewer healthcare jobs and a chance of fewer valley hospitals.

Kabin · Feb 25, 2010

Here's a Fox 10 news story on the potential cuts...

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/health/health-budget-cuts-2-24-2010

The association said the proposed cuts in health care programs would result in 42,000 fewer jobs...

MsBruiser · Mar 2, 2010

Things really are as bad as stated in these news stories. The best we can hope for – the 1% sales tax passes and some of the healthcare cuts are mitigated by increased revenue. Our legislature simply does not understand that you can cut health insurance expenditures, but people will still get sick. I expect some hospitals may even experience bankruptcy due to unreimbursed care. Facilities that rely less on Medicaid reimbursements will be hit less – but I expect things can get very ugly, very quickly if the sales tax is not passed. Layoffs, unit closures, etc.

What can we do? Talk about the need for passing the sales tax to anyone who will listen. Do not accept/transfer to any new position that does not involve direct patient care. Now is not the time to be an educator/work in informatics.

silentRN · Mar 6, 2010

Man, Jobs are so slim picking throughout arizona. I was just browsing at hospitals in the valley and there is nothing out there! I started to look at jobs in Nevada, because I'm scared for my job here in Tucson next year. Nevada actually looks quite promising.

Kabin · Mar 6, 2010

Next week the courts may decide the fate of AZ's seriously mentally ill (SMI) population. Brewer is ok with dropping the satute and wants to cut SMI services to just crisis and medications. They're trying to eliminate Magellan so AZ's financially strapped AHCCCS can pretend to covers some SMI services.

Kabin · Mar 12, 2010

http://www.azcentral.com/news/election/azelections/articles/2010/03/12/20100312budgetvote0312.html

On largely party-line votes, the Republican-controlled Legislature approved an $8.9 billion spending plan that ends a health-care program for 47,000 low- income children, removes 310,000 adults from state health coverage...

Urban_Durga · Mar 16, 2010

Next week the courts may decide the fate of AZ's seriously mentally ill (SMI) population. Brewer is ok with dropping the satute and wants to cut SMI services to just crisis and medications. They're trying to eliminate Magellan so AZ's financially strapped AHCCCS can pretend to covers some SMI services.

The repercussions of cutting SMI programming down to only crisis- and medication-related services are going to be significant. By eliminating the support services currently available to SMI individuals, we're going to end up shelling out even more money to address serious mental health crises that could have potentially been prevented, had services been available to those individuals at a less critical point. It's a lot more expensive to stabilize an uninsured person who has attempted suicide than it is to help them before they've injured themselves and landed themselves in the ER (just as an example).

Not to mention the decline in the quality of life and treatment for those with serious mental health issues. It's frightening and disgraceful :[

Hoozdo, ADN · Mar 16, 2010

Wonder what the fall out is going to be with the cuts to AHCCCS? It's not going to be good. How are hospitals supposed to survive giving free healthcare to someone that used to have AHCCCS? I guess Brewer wants them to eat the cost. I doubt that will happen.

EMTALA, sound familiar? Hospitals have to give service to ANYONE.